The present invention relates to a surveillance system for monitoring a plurality of surveillance regions, in which the surveillance system is controllable and/or controlled by at least one human observer.
Surveillance systems typically include a plurality of surveillance cameras which are installed in different locations in order to observe one or more surveillance regions. Surveillance systems of this type are used, e.g., to monitor public places, intersections, buildings, libraries, train stations, factories, prisons, retirement homes, etc.
In a typical design of surveillance systems of this type, the surveillance signals of the surveillance cameras are combined at one surveillance center, where they are inspected automatically using suitable surveillance algorithms, or by surveillance personnel. The advantage of automated monitoring is that the quality of surveillance remains consistent, and personnel costs are minimized. In contrast, the advantage of using surveillance personnel is the ability of the human component of the surveillance personnel to recognize suspicious behavior by persons in the surveillance region in cases that are not covered by surveillance algorithms. An example of a typical video surveillance system is disclosed in EP 0 714 586 B1.